Arcobaleno Parenting
by Kura-Tokiwa69
Summary: One of the most powerful and deadly organisation, the Arcobaleno, comprises of many different talents but is parenting one of them? And the child that they picked up... Will things be really what they seemed to be? Things will definitely change. For better or for worse. AU Child!Tsuna Adult!Arcobaleno
1. The new addition

**Hey awesome readers who stumbled upon this story!**

**Urgh, I have three ongoing stories now, including this. Normally, I would rather finish a story first before posting another one but since I got 100 reviews for 'The Sky's Reflection' and 70 for 'Lovely Madness', I decided to post this as a celebratory thing. XD This was just a random plot that popped up in my head so I just had to write it! There's going to be a deep plot in this story later on so the summary and/or title might be changed when I've completely settled this story! Anyway, I'll stop my blabbering now and get on with the story!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer? Obviously not, unfortunately XD**

* * *

_**The new addition**_

The Arcobaleno were one of the most dangerous organisation ever known in Italy and they were not one to be trifled with. As young as they may be, they should not be underestimated. Even the women of the Arcobaleno were known to be deadly, despite their striking looks. No one knew what went on behind the closed doors of the Arcobaleno mansion and no one was brave enough to find out.

That day was one like all other days for the members of the Arcobaleno but little did they know about what was going to happen.

"Luce! We're done here!" Skull shouted, kicking a body to the side. Luce looked up and nodded as she got up from her seat. "Good job, Skull! Now we can go back and have dinner!"

"Hmph, that will teach them to mess with the Arcobaleno. They wasted so much of my time and time is money." Mammon said, turning to leave the building.

"You shouldn't focus too much on money, Viper-"

"Shut up, Fon!" Mammon spat. "... And don't call me Viper! It's Mammon!"

Suddenly, a gasp was heard from Luce and the shuffling of cardboard was heard.

"What's wrong, kora?" Collonello ran over to Luce's side and peeped over her shoulder.

"It's a child!" Luce exclaimed, pushing away the boxes which were cover for the child who was covered in bruises and looked rather malnourished. "Oh that poor boy! We should take him back..."

"Absolute not." Reborn said, appearing out of nowhere. "We're not an orphanage, Luce!"

The boy's brown eyes widened at the sight of so many people and scrambled backwards till his back hit the wall.

"Kora! You scared the poor kid, Reborn!"

"Did not. It was probably your face that frightened him."

"Hah, or maybe-"

"Boys! Be quiet!" Luce scolded, turning back to the child. "It's okay, we won't hurt you! We just want to help you..." she said softly, a gentle smile gracing her face and a hand outstretched. The boy looked at the hand cautiously and after a few minutes of close scrutiny, he hesitantly reached out. Luce pulled him up and gently stroked his brown hair. The boy relaxed in her embrace and allowed himself to be carried.  
Reborn sighed and shook his head. "The moment that brat recovers, he is out of the mansion, okay?"

_We'll see about that after this adorable child melts the ice in your heart!_ "Of course, Reborn. Shall we leave for home now?"

~~~~~~~.

"What is that thing?" Lal exclaimed as she opened the door.

"It's a child, Lal. And we're going to take care of him till he's better!" Luce seemed excited at the thought of being a parent and let out a small giggle. She quickly made her way to the infirmary with the child in her arms.

Lal didn't look happy at all and huffed with displeasure. "Great. Now Luce has to go all gaga over taking care of a brat. What will people think if they find out that the Arcobaleno have a child in their care?"

"My sentiments exactly." Reborn said as he made his way back to his room. "... But when Luce decides on something, she won't change her mind. Making her angry is the last thing I would want to do."

Colonello shivered at the thought of an angry Luce and immediately shook his head. The others just shrugged and headed back to their own rooms as well.

~~~~~~~.

"Now let's get you clean, shall we?" Luce said to the small boy who was only slightly taller than Luce's knee. When she saw a slight nod from him, she led him to the bathroom where the tub was and lifted him inside. "Let's start with introductions! My name is Luce! What's yours?"

"T-Tsunayoshi..." the boy replied meekly, his voice soft and slightly hoarse.

_So cute! And a Japanese name at that...But why would he be here in Italy?... "_Can I call you Tsuna-chan then?"

Tsuna nodded, closing his eyes when Luce began to wash his hair. The grime and dirt was washed off and with some conditioner, all was left was a head full of lustrous brown hair. "How old are you, Tsuna-chan?" Luce asked as she dried his hair with a fluffy white towel.

"Eh... S-Six? I think..." A few seconds after that, a rumbling sound was heard and Tsuna's face turned red, not daring to look up at the lady with the puffy hat.

Luce laughed and led Tsuna out of the bathroom. "Looks like little tuna needs to eat!"

"T-Tuna?..." Tsuna looked up curiously at Luce with his large hazel-brown eyes, flinching when Luce started squealing and pinching his cheeks.

Luce swung open the large doors leading to the dining area and nudged Tsuna in. He looked around the room and saw a large table in the middle of it, a giant chandelier hanging above. He was so intrigued by it that he almost didn't hear a voice call out to him and when he snapped out of it, he saw a blonde man in military clothes sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Hey kid! Here for some food, kora?" he said in between mouthfuls of what seemed like pasta. Tsuna nodded and went to take a seat which he had difficulty getting on because of his small size. When he was finally settled on his seat, a tantalising aroma wafted up his nose. Taking a big whiff of the smell of a slightly tangy yet sweet scent, he turned his eyes to where the smell was coming from and his jaw dropped. That was the largest plate of pasta covered in tomato puree that he had ever seen! And it was warm too, unlike the cold rotten scraps he found on the streets.

"Eat up, kora! You look like you haven't eaten in days!" Colonello said with a soft chuckle. Turning to Luce, he asked, "What's his name?"

"Tsunayoshi. But he said we could call him Tsuna!"

"Welll then, Tsuna," Colonello got out from his seat and went over to ruffle the brunet's soft hair before leaving the room. "Feel free to find me if you need anything, kora!"

"That man just now was Colonello! Later on, if you see a grumpy looking man with weird curly sideburns and wearing a fedora, that's Reborn. The one with a hood all the time is Viper but she likes to be called Mammon instead. Fon is the Chinese man with the braided hair; Verde is the one with green hair and is always in a lab coat. Last but not least, is Skull. He's the one with all the make up and plasters on his face. He may look scary but he's a really nice person!"

Tsuna slowly digested the information as he chewed on his food. With all these introductions, does that mean he would be staying here?

"Reborn said that you have to leave when your wounds are healed..."

Tsuna's face fell.

"But don't worry! I'm sure that with your cuteness and innocence, you can convince them!"

"Huh?..."

Luce just smiled and patted the child's head. "Dinner starts at seven so you're free to roam anywhere in the mansion! I have to do something so I'll be heading back to my room! Have fun, little Tuna!"

Tsuna waved to her and took his last bite before going to explore the mansion. He was enjoying every second of his time here and he had never felt so relaxed before. On the streets, he had to run for his life and starved a few times. He lived every single day of his life in fear and now, he was safe. Even though his stay might not be long, he might as well live it to the fullest.

~~~~~~~.

Tsuna wandered around the long quiet hallways, his footsteps echoing. He had been walking for about fifteen minutes and he still had no idea where he was. All the corridors looked exactly the same and so were the doors. The hallways were devoid of any life and he couldn't even find out where he was. Yes, he was lost. Suddenly he heard a loud crash and some swearing coming from one of the doors and as he went closer to the source, he saw a piece of paper with the word "Skull" stuck on a door. _This must be Skull's room..._ Tsuna thought, raising a hand to knock on it.

"Gah stupid boxes- Oh it's you!" Skull said, patting Tsuna's head. The child looked up and saw that Skull wasn't wearing his helmet, giving him a clear view of his plasters and piercings.

"I got lost and I heard some noise from here." Tsuna explained sheepishly, biting down on his lower lip.

"I see... I was just clearing my room and some boxes fell, that's all!-"

"Can I help?"

Skull paused for a moment before grinning. "Sure! Come on in! What's your name? I'm the awesome Skull!" he announced proudly.

"T-Tsuna..."

"Cool, come on! You can help me pick up the stuff lying around and hand it to me!" They soon started on the huge mess in Skull's room and as Tsuna picked up a photograph, he ran to Skull, pulling on his leather pants.

"I-Is this you?" Tsuna asked excitedly. The photo showed Skull riding his motorcycle through hoops of fire, twenty feet high.

Skull nodded proudly, sighing as he reminisced on the past. "Yeap, I was known as the immortal daredevil who could never die and that even the grim reaper hates me! This is just one of the many stunts I performed!"

Tsuna looked at Skull in awe and clapped his hands. "That's so cool, Skull!"

The stuntman's chest swelled up with pride. _I think I'm starting to like this Tsuna kid... _"Erm, let's get clearing and have dinner!"

"Is that... An octopus over there?..." Tsuna inquired as he stared at the tank. Suddenly, the octopus turned to Tsuna and and waved a tentacle. The boy shrieked and jumped back. "HIEEEE! It!... It... It waved!"

"Ehehe yeap! That's my pet, Oodako! Don't worry! It's friendly!"

After about an hour of clearing, Tsuna wiped the sweat off his brow. He didn't think there was that much mess in Skull's room! Among the mess, there were photographs, trophies and some CDs. A loud thump was heard and Tsuna turned around to see that Skull had tripped over something and fell face first onto the hard flooring.

A concerned Tsuna quickly ran to his side and peered over Skull who had a hand on his nose and was groaning like he had broken a limb or something. "Are you okay?..."

"M-Maybe..." he replied in a nasally voice. "Ow my nose..."

Tsuna rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a plaster. "Here, move your hand." Skull sat up and dropped his hand, letting Tsuna lean in to stick the plaster on the bridge of his nose and gently patted it. "There, all better!"

Skull sniffed and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "N-No one has ever helped me like this before except Luce!... Everyone else would just bully me or order me around because I'm the weakest... You know what? I think I like you, kid!" Skull pulled Tsuna in for a tight hug and Tsuna smiled a little, returning the hug. "Let's go for dinner! Come on, I'll carry you!" He lifted Tsuna and placed him on his shoulders, bouncing with each step. "To the food!"

~~~~~~~.

"Colonello! Please call Verde out for dinner!" Luce said, placing the dishes on the table."

Colonello's eyes widened and gasped. "Kora! The last time I went, he tried to inject me with some strange liquid! Reborn should go this time!"

"Keep dreaming, blonde idiot. It's your turn this week." Reborn said with a smirk.

"... Mammon!-"

"No."

"F-Fong! Please!" Colonello shouted desperately. He really didn't want to die by Verde's hand.

Fong chuckled and headed for the door. "Fine, just this once."

Colonello sighed in relief and plopped down in his seat, readying his fork to stab at some of the delicious chicken when someone punched him in the head. "L-Lal! What the hell was that for, kora!"

Lal rolled her eyes and sat down beside him, smacking his hand down. "You're supposed to wait till everyone is here, stupid!"

Soon, Skull and Tsuna came into the dining area in high spirits and the stuntman carried Tsuna off his shoulders and down on a chair.

"My, you two seemed like you had fun!" Luce said, placing the last of the cutlery down.

"Yea! I was clearing my room and Tsuna here decided to help me! He's a really nice kid!"

"Which is obviously why he's not supposed to be here." Reborn mumbled, glaring at the child.

Tsuna shrank back in his seat, letting out a quiet "Hiieee!" as he felt the coldness from the fedora-wearing man.

Luce shook her head and stood akimbo. "Reborn! Stop that!"

Reborn huffed and turned away. _Useless burden_.

Soon, Fong and Verde entered and took their seats. "Who is that? My new test subject?" Verde asked, a creepy smile on his face.

"No way! He's my new friend!" Skull defended.

Reborn grunted and went on to glare at Skull who shrank back in his seat like Tsuna. "Don't get too sticky, lackey. He's out of the mansion as soon as his wounds heal."

"But!-"

"Do you have any idea what the consequences are of having a child in the Arcobaleno's care?" Lal furiously said, slamming a hand on the table. "Our weakness will soon be that pathetic brat and what would people say?"

The entire table kept silent until Luce spoke up. "If there is nothing else, let's eat!" Even though she was smiling, everyone could feel the menacing aura behind her and decided to start eating.

"Why do we have to eat together? I'm really busy working on a new theory." Verde complained, stabbing his food with his fork.

"Haven't you heard the saying 'A family that eats together, stays together'?"

"Technically, we're not a family considering that there is no blood t-"

"Eat. Now." The menacing aura flared up once more and being the intellectual scientist with an I.Q higher that all the members of the Arcobaleno combined, he knew when to shut up if Luce was in her I-may-be-smiling-but-I-actually-feel-like-tearing-you-apart mood. Well, she wouldn't do that to her family but this was one thing Verde did not want to try.

Tsuna perked up. Little gears were clicking in his simple brains. If eating together meant that they would stay together, wouldn't that mean that Tsuna might actually have a chance to be part of this family? Apparently, Skull was thinking of the exact same thing when he nudged Tsuna and whispered, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Tsuna nodded furiously, a tiny smile on his face. That might actually work out to become a reality instead of a dream to little Tsuna…

* * *

**School is starting soon so I can't update my stories as frequently as I would like to anymore so the next chapter might take a while... I'll edit stories to improve them from time to time so review to tell me what you think, whether it be a simple sentence or praises *shot* or something that will help me improve my writing! I always reply to reviews (I check my mail everyday!) so if you have any questions, feel free to ask! If there are anonymous reviewers, I'll reply them in the next chapter!**

**Meanwhile, as I get my life into order, why not read my other stories, hm? :)**

**Thanks for reading and review!**


	2. Trainings and nightmares

_**Trainings and nightmares**_

Skull was no idiot. Well, maybe a little but he wasn't as clueless as other people thought he was. The rest of the Arcobaleno knew that but of course, to them, Skull would always be their (dear, wonderful) lackey, mainly to Reborn. The moment Tsuna had helped him without hesitation, he knew he had to fulfil the role of a big brother to the cute little brunet and protect him at all costs. For once, he felt that this was something worth standing up for and he would make sure Tsuna stayed with them! Yes, he was a softie.

After the meal, everyone went back to do their own things and Luce led Tsuna back to his room after Skull gave him a hug.

"I see you've made friends with Skull!" Luce said cheerfully, holding Tsuna's hand. He nodded, telling her about how he got lost and stumbled on to Skull's room where he helped clear it. Luce giggled, her glossy, black hair swaying lightly.

Tsuna looked up at Luce, a look of admiration in his eyes. Luce was truly a beautiful lady. Her long hair was tied in a low, thin ponytail and the way she walked was one of grace and elegance. Her eyes sparkled under the light and always had a cheerful disposition to her. Even the small flower tattoo looked good on her. If it weren't for Luce, Tsuna would probably still be living on the streets, hungry and afraid.

Of course, he wouldn't judge a book by its cover. Skull had told him a while ago that Luce could be extremely terrifying when angry. And when that happened, it was best to hide in a hole, a particularly deep one at that.

"We're here!" Luce chirped, swinging open the doors. Tsuna entered the large room and he gasped. It was huge and there was even a walk-in wardrobe filled with clothes of his size! He jumped onto the four poster king-sized bed and rolled around, feeling the softness of the comforter and the fluffed up pillows. Never in his life had he enjoyed such luxuries! Luce laughed and made her way out. "Good night little Tsuna! Sweet dreams!" she whispered, blowing a kiss before switching off the lights.

~~~~~~~.

Tsuna tossed and turned in bed, beads of perspiration forming on his face. "No... No!... Leave me alone!" he muttered, his grip on the sheets tightening.

Dozens of needles poked into him, bright lights glaring painfully into his eyes. Tsuna could hear vague mumblings from several men in white coats surrounding him. A sharp pain coursed through his body and he let out a scream before flailing wildly.

The scene changed and Tsuna found himself in an alley and as he crawled out, he was met with the sight of burning building, the blazing flames uncontrollable. A surge of fear suddenly rose up within him and he scanned his surroundings with dread and anticipation, almost expecting something to jump out at him. Suddenly, a blow from behind knocked the wind out of him and he fell face first onto the ground. Soon, he felt kicks and punches coming at him and even though he wanted to scream, no voice came out.

_Stay... Positive... Okay?..._

_Don't... Worry!... See... You... Later..._

_Hi!... I'm... Ta-_

Tsuna shot up in bed, his eyed wide open with trepidation. He groped blindly for the side lamp switch and sighed when he was no longer in darkness. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he pulled his knees to his chest and hugged it tightly. This was going to be a long night.

~~~~~~~.

"Good morning, Tsuna! Let's go for breakfast together!" Skull said as he burst into the brunet's room.

Tsuna looked up lethargically and gave a forced smile. "G-Good morning, Skull..."

"Are you okay?..." Skull noticed that Tsuna looked a little pale.

Tsuna nodded and got off the bed. "I just had a... Little nightmare."

Skull pulled Tsuna in for a hug while stroking his soft brown hair. "Don't worry, you're safe here! Even if the others don't care, Luce and I do and we'll protect you! In my eyes, you're my little brother!"

_A… Brother? Like a family?..._ Tsuna smiled and gently pushed him away. "Thank you… Now, let's go eat, I'm hungry..."

~~~~~~~.

"You'd better get your sorry ass down in the training room right now!"

"Well, this sorry ass here is on this seat as its owner is trying to eat breakfast, kora!"

"Colonello, you asshole!"

"Yes, dear Lal?"

"They're always like this, so don't mind them too much!" Skull explained to Tsuna with a nervous laugh when he saw the horrified look on the child's face.

_Quarrelling is normal?_

"Oi lackey, I want espresso." Reborn said without looking up from his paper.

"While you're at it, I want black coffee!" Lal demanded as she caught sight of the Cloud Arcobaleno.

"Tea, please."

Skull's shoulders slumped as he trudged to the kitchen. "I'm not your servant!"

"And yet you do it every single day." Reborn said with a smirk.

Skull rolled his eyes and prepared the drinks, placing them on the table and a milk tea in front of Tsuna. As he sat down, Tsuna leaned in to ask, "Where are the others?"

"Oh, Vip- Mammon's usually asleep till ten or eleven, Verde is probably doing some weird experiment in his lab as usual and Luce's in her room doing some work." came the reply from Skull.

Once again, after breakfast, Tsuna was left to his own devices and he decided to wander around the mansion. This time, he headed to the west side of the humongous building but soon came to slightly regret his decision. Going to the west side was like entering a completely different set of corridors. Instead of paintings like every other hallway, the walls at the west side were covered with weapons in which some had dried blood on it. There were swords, katanas, axes, spears, revolvers... You name it, they have it. He had seen a few of those gangs carrying those on the streets and knew they could do some serious damage. However, that wasn't the reason for why Tsuna regretted stepping foot in the west side. It was the sounds coming from the huge, scary looking steel door in front of him.

"Kora! You can't even aim properly!" Gunshots sounded.

"Oh really? You should watch your back!" An explosion.

"Huh- OI OI OI KORAAAAA! N-NOT THERE! Not that part!" Another explosion followed by a crack.

"Hmph! Weak as usual!" The sound of kicking. Thwack thwack.

Tsuna had been on the streets for a few years and he had come across much violence by gangs but none sounded as horrible as the supposed training that was going on inside. He was about to turn to leave when the doors flew open and Lal stepped out. She grabbed the child by the collar and threw him into the training room.

"We could feel your pathetic presence from here." Lal droned, crossing her arms.

Tsuna looked around the spacious room which had reinforced steel walls, some of which had been dented pretty badly. _Wow, they have some serious weapons here..._ He then turned his attention to the lady in front of him, his eyes scanning the long blue hair to the burn mark on her face. Actually, Tsuna thought it suited her well. It sort of added to the intimidation factor. From what Skull had told him, Lal was an extremely strict, no-nonsense person and was just as good or maybe even better than Colonello in handling long-ranged weapons considering that she's Colonello's instructor. But under that cold exterior, there was also a soft side. Maybe not as soft as jelly but probably… softer than a metal heated to an extremely high temperature? Skull told him that there was one time where he accidentally went inside Lal's room and saw the most incredible sight. There were a few teddy bears sitting innocently on the bed in pristine condition. It seemed like Lal Mirch did have a soft side after all. Of course, Skull didn't get away scot-free as he shuddered at the mere mention of his punishment.

"What do you do in the Ar... Araco... Arcoba...le..."

"Arcobaleno. We obviously kill people."

"Too straightforward Lal! Way too straightforward, kora! He's just a kid! He doesn't need to know that!" Colonello huffed, eyeing Tsuna for any reaction. To his surprise, Tsuna's expression barely changed and instead, the brunet asked with a slight tilt of the head, "Can I fight like that too?"

Colonello held back his laughter at the innocent yet not so innocent boy. Lal on the other hand, flinched a little. Tsuna was not adorable. He was not cute when he looking at her with his large hazel-coloured eyes and messy brown hair which looked really soft to the touch. No, there were no flowers behind him with a sparkling background. No, Lal Mirch would not falter! Instead, the blue-haired woman coughed into her hand and tried her best to glare at the small child below. "If you can keep up with my basic training, I -might- give wimpy little you a second glance."

"R-Really?" Tsuna exclaimed excitedly, his eyes shimmering.

Lal stiffened and coughed once more as she punched Colonello in the shoulder. "You can handle him."

"What? He's just a kid, kora!"

"Just get him off my back!" she hissed.

The blond rolled his eyes and turned to Tsuna. "Well, let's get started, kora! Ten laps round the training room!"

"Okay!" Tsuna started to follow Colonello as he started jogging.

The task seemed simple enough but at the third lap, Tsuna was starting to pant and lag behind. The training room was huge, like really, really big (To Tsuna). It was larger than two football fields and the ceiling was just as high.

"Ready to give up, kora?" Colonello said with a grin when he turned to check on the kid.

"I-I'm... Fine!..."Tsuna spluttered out, a hand wiping his perspiration away.

"Why do you even want to fight? Someone like you should be in a nice family, going to school and having a great childhood! Do you understand that we weren't joking when we actually said that we take lives?"

Tsuna's smile dropped a little. "Yeah... I know... I never knew who my parents were so I had to survive on my own. I thought I should learn since I couldn't protect... A friend of mine..."

Colonello nodded, understanding the pain of losing someone close. However, there was something that nudged him in his mind. The boy was hiding something. "Your friend... He died?"

The brunet shook his head, continuing to look down. "I-I don't know... Maybe... Maybe not."

Colonello ruffled Tsuna's hair and laughed. "Well, at least you're safe here! No worries, kora! No one would ever dare attack us!"

"But... I have to leave when my wounds heal right?..." Tsuna mumbled as he subconsciously touched his bandaged arm. Colonello kept silent and nudged Tsuna to continue running. "Don't worry, I'm sure Luce will do her best to let you remain here, kora!" he whispered.

When the ten rounds were finally completed, Tsuna collapsed to the floor, panting like there was no tomorrow. Colonello on the other hand, looked perfectly fine and was still grinning.

"Hm, you passed the basic training."

Tsuna smiled tiredly and sat up, proud of his own achievement.

"Wipe that smile off your face! This is just the start!" Lal reprimanded, pulling Tsuna up with a surprisingly gentle grip.

"Th-Thank you!" Tsuna said, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "I think I'll go have a shower now, see you at dinner!"

As Tsuna left the room, Colonello turned to Lal. "I know you think he's cute, Lal~"

"Shut up!" Lal growled, a light tint of pink on her face.

~~~~~~~.

"Tsuna! There you are! I was wondering where you ran off to!"

The brunet turned around and saw Skull running towards him. "Ah, Skull! I was training with Colonello and Lal!" Skull visibly paled and ran even faster towards the child, squatting down to Tsuna's height and examining him.

"Are you hurt? Your entire face is red! Did they bully you? Tell me and I'll take care of them in a flash!"

Tsuna chuckled over Skull fussing about and reassured the daredevil (he wasn't too sure if he could really be called a daredevil if he was afraid of something like Lal's training.) with a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm really fine! We just did some running, that's all!"

Skull sighed in relief and stood up. "You really stink! Let's go get you into a bath!"

The day flew by in a flash and it soon became his second night in the Arcobaleno mansion. However, once again, his nightmares came back with more intensity than the previous night. Tsuna shot up in bed, drenched in perspiration and his blanket messed up. His pillows somehow ended on the floor but he didn't bother to go pick them up. Tsuna quickly switched on the bedside lamp and took a quick glance at the clock which read '5.27 a.m'. _This nightmare was longer and more vivid than last night..._ Feeling that he wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon, he crept out of bed and opened the door as quietly as he could. As he left his room, he nearly shrieked in fright after turning to see someone in front of him.

"Hello Tsunayoshi. You're up already?" Fon said with a calm voice. Tsuna nodded hesitantly and looked up at the Chinese man.

Fon examined the child in front of him, noticing that he was trembling slightly. "How would you like to meditate with me?" Before even Tsuna could answer, Fon had already picked up the boy and carried him while rubbing his back soothingly. "Had a bad dream?"

"Y-Yeah..." Tsuna replied as he wrapped his arms round Fon's neck.

They soon reached a large room and Fon gently put the boy down and went over to a mat to sit down cross-legged. Tsuna followed suit and crossed his legs. Looking up, he saw that Fon had closed his eyes and was breathing deeply with his hands placed on his laps. Tsuna tried to do it as well but found himself looking up more often than not to see if there were any changes.

"Close your eyes and breathe. Listen to your surroundings and stay calm." Fon said, barely moving from his position. The brunet proceeded to do just that and true enough, he could actually listen to even the minutest sounds in the room. He could hear the water flowing from a small fountain in a corner of the room and the chirping from the birds outside the window. Not only did his hearing become sharper, his sense of touch became sharper as well. Warm rays of sunlight peeked from the clouds, shining onto Tsuna, making his legs feel warm.

With deeper concentration, he heard a soft scratching sound on the mat and small squeaks. Tsuna couldn't make out what it was and tried it ignore it. It gradually got louder and louder till suddenly, something hit Tsuna from the back, causing little Tsuna to fall face first onto the mat.

"HIEEEE! Wh-What is that?" Tsuna squeaked, his brown orbs staring at what seems to be a small monkey sitting on his head, peering down at the boy curiously.

"That would be Lichi, my partner. Don't worry, he's relatively harmless to friends." Fon said casually with a smile.

"Do all of you have pets?... I've seen Skull's octopus before..."

"Yes, we all do. Most of ours are harmless. Do remember to watch out for Lal's and Verde's, theirs may not be as docile as some of ours."

Tsuna froze at this. He had never been good with certain types of animals, like dogs. What if theirs were man-eating monsters? Or... Giant scorpions? The octopus was fine since it was in a large tank and the monkey seemed rather nice... But still... Suddenly he didn't feel so good at the thought of all the creatures living under the same roof with him. He might die! From being eaten!

"... I can assure you that they won't eat you..."

_Oh phew. Wait, that doesn't mean that they can't injure or inflict pain!_

"You should stop worrying so much; it's quite safe here most of the time."

Most of the time. That was so comforting.

"So erm..." Before Tsuna could complete his sentence, a loud growl was heard from his stomach.

"Hungry?"

"Y-Yes..."

Fon just smiled and stood up, gesturing for Tsuna to follow. Lichi leaped onto Tsuna's shoulder with ease and nuzzled its soft head against the child's cheek, earning a soft giggle. "Let's go have breakfast, Lichi!"

~~~~~~~.

When they reached the dining hall, no one was there yet but there was already food on the table so the two helped themselves.

After about half an hour, Skull came bursting in and when he caught sight of the brunet, he made a mad dash towards him, tripping over a chair in the process. "Tsuna!" he cried out, "I thought you were kidnapped by that Verde as a test subject for his horrible experiments!"

"I was with Fon…" Tsuna replied, patting the crying Skull's head. "Ah yes, I have some training with Colonello and Lal later too."

Skull's jaw dropped, his grip on Tsuna tightening. "Wh-What? Are you sure? You're only six! You don't need to train!"

"Colonello said it wouldn't be strenuous so its okay I guess."

"And you believe him?"

"Leave it be, Skull. I'm sure they know better than to torture children..." Fon interjected, getting up to leave. "I'll see you later, you two."

"D-Don't die okay?" Skull whined when Tsuna got up as well.

~~~~~~~.

As he left the training room after an hour of light exercises and running, Tsuna exhaled sharply, stretching his sore arms.

_So far I've met Luce, Skull, Lal, Colonello and Fon... They seem pretty nice and welcoming... Maybe not so much for Lal but she nice in her own way. Probably._

Turning a corner, he caught sight of Mammon walking, or rather, floating towards him when she stopped suddenly to stare out a window. "Hello, Mammon!" Tsuna greeted with a smile.

The illusionist turned to the child, her lips curved downwards. Tsuna couldn't tell if she was glaring since he couldn't completely see her face because of her hood. "You're that brat Luce took back."

"M-My name is Tsunayoshi-"

"Be quiet. If you're going to talk, you have to pay me."

"But I-"

"No money, no talk. Now move." Mammon said curtly, floating past him.

_She really hates me..._ _And somewhat… Money-minded…_ Tsuna thought. Looking out the window which faced the garden, he saw Fon practicing his martial arts against an invisible enemy. Sweat trickled down his bare torso and it was then Tsuna noticed the dragon tattoo on the left side. _Fon looks really cool... So when Mammon was looking out of the window, she was actually looking at..._

"Hello, Tsunayoshi. Do you want to join me?"

Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts and looked down to find Fon staring up at him. "Sure! I erm... I just have to find the stairs... I think I'm lost again."

"You could jump."

"... What? F-From the second floor? I'm not like you guys!"

Fon had an amused look on his face. "I'll catch you."

"A-Are you sure?..."

Fon nodded, walking till he was directly under the window with his arms outstretched.

Tsuna placed a foot on the windowsill. _What if he doesn't catch me? Oh no, I'm going to die I'm going to die! If his hand slips, I'm going to die!..._ Another trembling foot stepped up. _I'll probably break a few bones here and there... I'm sure no one will miss me if I miss my footing and drop to my death..._ His hands gripped the sides of the window as he looked down. _Here goes nothing..._ As he jumped, he thought he heard someone shouting.

* * *

**Thank you everyone who reviewed, alerted, faved, whatever! It totally made me write faster and since I have school orientation tomorrow, I'm posting this today! Wow, and a 3,300+ word chapter too O_O For your information, this story won't just be all fun and laughter! This is just the start... :)**

**You've got a little glimpse of his past now... More will be revealed soon... But definitely not in the next three or four chapters I think :)**

**Anonymous review replies now! By the way, I replied to all your reviews already XD**

**Anonymous: Yea, he was born in Japan but... I don't want to say too much or else it'll spoil the suspense lol. So yes, he did spend a short while in Japan. Yes again, he will definitely learn some skills. Can't have him remain dame, can we? :) Haha, yea I feel you, I've seen stories like that too XD Thank you!**

**MaiA: Haha yeah I know! That's why I thought this might be something new XD There's a Varia fic somewhat like this too! (I may have gotten a teensy bit of inspiration from there...) it's called Like A Boss! I really like it XD Anyway, thanks for reviewing!**

**Thanks for reading! The next chapter should be out in a week or so since school is starting! Reviews would be greatly appreciated (to alleviate school stress) :D Ciao!**


	3. Happiness fades

_**Happiness fades**_

"What the hell? Tsuna! Nooooo! Don't jump! Don't be so reckless! I know life has been hard but suicide isn't the way out! You can talk to your new awesome brother here!" Skull shouted, his eyes as wide as saucers.

A few moments ago, he was just about to head back to his room when he saw Tsuna at the window looking down with fear in his eyes. When he had a foot on the windowsill, Skull panicked like crazy and when he saw Tsuna jump, he screamed for Tsuna and ran towards the same window and stuck his head out to look down, preparing to see a bloody body but to his surprise, he saw Tsuna giggling in Fon's arms.

"That was pretty fun! Oh hi Skull!"

Skull let out a sigh of relief. _He's alive!_ "You almost scared me for a moment there! I thought you were about to kill yourself!" he reprimanded, leaping out of the window and landing beside Fon.

_He was worried?... For me?_ Tsuna kept silent as the smile slowly faded away from his face. "I can't die yet... Not until I know they're gone and that he's safe..." Tsuna mumbled, lowering his head.

Fon and Skull looked at each other with a shared expression of uncertainty on their faces. Fon brushed a lock of Tsuna's hair from his face and laid him down gently on the soft grass. "Do not worry while you are here," Fon said, lightly brushing against Tsuna's bandaged arm. "We will help you if you need help so don't hesitate okay?" Tsuna nodded, leaning against Skull who sat down on the grass beside him while Fon went back to training.

"I wish I could fight like him..." Skull sighed.

"I'm sure you have your own fighting style too!"

Skull shook his head. "But I'm not as good as the others... I mean like, Reborn is the best hitman in the world and stuff and he's one of the stronger ones in the group, Mammon is crazy with her creepy illusions, Lal and Colonello deal with firearms and heavy artillery, Fon as you can see is best with close combat, Verde is a genius who creates weapons for us, Luce doesn't really need to fight since she has a cool skill of seeing the future... While I have nothing. I can do stunts but what's the point? I am the weakest member of the Arcobaleno after all."  
Tsuna tilted his head cutely, lightly patting on Skull's purple hair. "That's not true! I thought you were really cool when I saw those pictures of your stunts! I don't think anyone of the Araco... Arcoru-"

"Arcobaleno?"

"Yea! They couldn't do that, could they?"

"I... I guess not..."

"Would you jump off a ten storey building without hesitation?"

"Pfft, of course! That's nothing! I would just land right on my feet!"

"And could you jump off a cliff and survive?"

"Well, yeah, duh. A few broken bones here and there but it's no problem. I'm pretty much immortal-like."

Tsuna smiled nervously. _I_ _didn't think that was actually possible for even him... Well, he doesn't need to know that._ "See? You do have a gift! And I'm sure Lal's training to you isn't that bad as you make it sound, right?"

Skull rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. "It's... Manageable. I tend to erm... Overreact a little..." Both became silent after a while and continued to watch Fon train. Tsuna noticed how Fon's eyes were narrowed with concentration; his muscles tightening with each punch and kick.

_He could actually break someone's neck with a punch like that... I wonder if... I wonder if I could do something like that too.. And have my revenge. Simple…Right? _Tsuna thought, clenching his fists into tight balls.

"Tsuna? Are you okay?" Skull asked when he noticed the boy looking at his clenched fists. _I_ _don't like this feeling I'm getting…_

Tsuna relaxed and looked up with a small smile. "Yeap."

~~~~~~~.

"I'm so glad everyone could make it back in time for dinner from your missions!" Luce cheered, clapping her hands together as she sat at the head of the table.

_More like threatened us to make it back or else..._ Everyone thought.

"Hm, looks like the experiment subject is still alive..." Verde said, looking weirdly at the child.

Tsuna flinched and shifted himself closer to Skull. He had heard of the horrifying stories about Verde from Skull (he did have a sneaking suspicion that Skull was exaggerating) and made it a point to stay far, far away from the (supposedly) mad genius scientist.  
"So Tsuna-chan! How was your day?"

"Tsuna... Chan?" Skull asked. He wasn't very learned in Japanese culture but he did know that they had some honorific system.

"Well, I figured if Tsuna-chan is going to stay here, we could have fun using honorifics!"

Skull brightened up and nodded vigorously. "Tsuna, Tsuna! Call me Skull-nii!"

"Kora! That sounds like fun! Call me Colonello-nii too! You can call Lal, Lal obaasan!" Colonello sounded excited, nudging Lal.

"Oi! That's Lal-sama for you!"

Tsuna giggled and looked at Fon. "Is Fon-nii okay?"

"Of course, Tsuna." Fon replied.

Mammon couldn't be bothered and continued with her dinner while Verde just snorted. Reborn rolled his eyes. _Childish idiots_. "You're still leaving after your wounds heal." The table suddenly fell silent, the only sound being the utensils coming in contact with the ceramic plates. Tsuna felt despondent once again. He knew his wounds were almost healed and the bandages there were just for show. Looks like his happiness was short-lived. Soon he'll have to go back to the unforgiving streets where every day was a fight for survival and he would never have food like this again. This time, he ate his meal slower, savouring every bite.

~~~~~~~.

"Tsuna-chan! I have a mission tomorrow so I can't play with you... Will you be okay by yourself?" Skull said, walking the brunet to his room.

"I'll be fine!" Tsuna replied. He intended to stay in his room anyway. After all, he had to enjoy while he could right? Soon it would be back to sleeping in damp alleys with cardboards for a blanket.

Suddenly, Tsuna felt like he was being lifted into the air and turned around. "Luce-nee!" he wrapped his small arms around the Arcobaleno boss' neck and nuzzled against it. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of pine and roses. He felt safe and protected in her arms, like all his worries were gone. She was like a mother, even though he never had one. However, Tsuna knew it would never happen. Life was never this easy and he knew it would never be. There was no such thing as eternal happiness. His only wish at the moment was to stay away from those horrible people and make sure his friend was safe and happy. Anything else could go lower on his list.

"Don't worry, we'll do whatever it takes to keep you here, okay?" Luce whispered, gently stroking the child's back. Tsuna nodded groggily, already half-asleep in the comforts of Luce's arms. "So cute!" she squealed. "Quick, Skull! Get the camera!"

After shots were taken, Tsuna was tucked into bed, with a kiss planted on his forehead. "Sweet dream, Tsu-chan!..."

That night, he had no nightmares.

~~~~~~~.

Morning came, beams of sunlight streaming through the gaps of the curtain onto Tsuna's face. He shifted slightly in the soft bed, pulling the comforter higher. Feeling warm after a while, he soon kicked it off and cracked open his eyes. _Wow... I actually slept well..._ He thought, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

After freshening up, he went for breakfast and his usual training with Colonello and Lal. He had a bath after the tiring exercise and made his way towards the garden.  
_Maybe I can pick out some flowers for Luce-nee and the others!_

~~~~~~~.

Reborn walked down the hallway, his face as indifferent as ever. Luce hadn't sent him off on any missions yet, leaving him to wander around aimlessly. Soon, his thoughts were on the weakling child. How could Luce bring him back to the mansion? The Arcobaleno was one of the most powerful groups and as with Luce as their leader, didn't she know that by bringing the boy back, she would be compromising the group's safety? Not that they couldn't protect themselves. It was just more of a hassle. Groups might try to attack them by exploiting their weakness which was that child. Turning a corner, he saw Colonello whistling to himself, hands in his pocket.

"Hey Reborn! What's up kora!" the blond greeted, a grin on his face.

"Nothing. You seem happy." Reborn replied, not that he actually cared if his comrades were happy or not.

"I had fun with Tsuna-chan there! He totally freaked out when I jumped him from behind! You should have seen his reaction, kora!"

Reborn frowned. "That brat is nothing but a hindrance. Why are you getting so close with him?"

Colonello clicked his tongue. "Jealous now? Look, I know you're heartless but you can't be that heartless to throw out a little kid on the streets like that, kora!"

"I'm a hitman. We're all killers. We are not parents! Luce should never have picked him up in the first place! He was on the streets already so why pick him up?" Reborn growled, adjusting his fedora.

Colonello just shook his head. "We could try to raise him..."

"And what? Raise him to be like us? Please, look at him! He's scrawny, clumsy and naïve! He probably couldn't even outrun a dog without tripping a few times!"

"... You're worried aren't you?" Colonello smirked, patting the hitman's shoulder before walking away. "Besides, Luce always knows what she's doing, kora."

"Hey!- Damn you, Colonello!" Reborn pinched the bridge of his nose, silently cursing the blonde.

~~~~~~~.

Tsuna yawned. The afternoon sun was getting to him and he really needed a nap. As he trudged towards his room, he accidentally bumped into Reborn.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"Brat." Reborn said with a scowl. His cold black eyes stared into Tsuna's brown ones. The boy flinched, trying his best not to turn away. "You know what I think? I think you're useless." Reborn insulted and snorted elegantly when the boy flinched again. "You're a nuisance and deadweight to the Arcobaleno. Do you have any idea what we do? Do you? With you here, you're going to be our weakness and a burden!"

Tsuna just stood there, stunned. The words pierced him like knives would and he had a sudden urge to cry. Suddenly he didn't feel so sleepy anymore. A lump formed in his throat and he fought back the urge to make any form of noise, knowing that Reborn wouldn't like it.

Reborn soon walked away with a dsgusted look on his face, leaving Tsuna in the hallway.

_I... I didn't know I was that much trouble... I shouldn't stay too long… I knew it was too god to be true._

~~~~~~~.

During dinner time, Tsuna went down to the dining hall and when he pushed open the door, he only saw Luce, Reborn and Lal.

"Tsu-chan! I was just about to call you down for dinner!"

Tsuna nodded and went to his seat, keeping his head down. He ate his food as silently and quickly as possible, occasionally making small talk with Luce. When he was done, he quickly went back to his room.

Luce noticed the odd behaviour but shook it off, thinking that Tsuna was just missing Skull.

~~~~~~~.

Skull opened the door to his room, taking off his helmet and his wet jacket, throwing them in a corner of his room. There was a sudden downpour and Skull was totally unprepared for it. Stretching his sore limbs after being on his motorcycle for more than four hours, he went towards his desk and under the dim moonlight, he noticed a rose and a small piece of paper underneath it. Picking up the paper, his eyes widened in shock as he read it.

_Thank you for everything..._

He dropped the card and dashed out of the room, making his way towards Luce's. _Please don't let it be what I think it is..._

Suddenly, he saw a flustered Luce running towards him, a white piece of paper in hand.

"Skull! Tsu-chan's… Tsuna's gone!"

* * *

**Thanks everyone for the reviews, alerts, and faves! They really cheered me on to write! Unfortunately, school is starting so chapters will be much slower, at most 2-3 weeks for a chapter :( Oh by the way, I wonder if I confused you but in the previous chapter, I actually stated the first two letters of Tsuna's unknown friend's name! Not saying it out now :) **

**Another thing, someone asked me how old were the Arcobaleno members! Well, they're in their early twenties with Skull being the youngest at 20 and Verde and Fon the oldest at 25.**

**Anonymous review replies now!**

**MaiA: hehe yeah XD Thanks! You'll know soon! Uhhh and another cliffhanger here again. Lol sorry, can't help it!**

**Aqua: And it's more you shall have! :D**

**Anonymous: Yeap! Unfortunately, some of the other members won't be so easy to convince... Haha, yea, I was reading the manga and it totally hit me about the Fon and Mammon coupling XD!**

**Thanks everyone again and do continue to review! It'll really boost my mood for school and writing of course! hehe~**

**Ciao!**


	4. Tears and pain,with a Rainbow at the end

_**Tears and pain, with a rainbow at the end**_

"Skull! Tsu-chan's… Tsuna's gone! I can't find him in his room or anywhere else! And... And he left this..." she said, holding out the rose and a crumpled piece paper.

"I got those too!" he replied. _Why would Tsuna run away?_

"Gather everyone and meet in the meeting room, now!" she said, dashing off to get the others.

~~~~~~~.

"Everyone, Tsuna has run away." Luce frantically said, not even bothering to sit down and opting to pace up and down the room instead.

Colonello looked shocked and gasped. "Eh? But why? He was still looking all cheery and bubbly after our training, kora! Right Lal?"

Skull flopped onto the seat, his face falling flat on the table as he groaned. "I was on a mission today... If I hadn't gone, maybe Tsuna wouldn't have left! He didn't even say goodbye!.."

"It's not your fault, Skull." Fon comforted. Fon had just returned from his mission as well and when he had heard that Tsuna was gone, he went straight to the meeting room without bothering to change out of his bloodstained clothes, not that it would have mattered since his clothes were already red. "He must have left after someone said something to him, otherwise he wouldn't have left like that. His wounds haven't even healed yet." Fon obviously had an inkling of an idea of what was going on as his eyes shifted to Reborn for a second.

Luce thought about it for a moment before slamming a hand on the table. "Skull, Fon, and Mammon were on their mission since this morning while I sent Colonello out for a few hours today." she said, pausing for effect as she glanced at everyone round the table. "So that leaves Verde, Reborn, and Lal..."

"I was in my lab." Verde just said, folding his arms.

"I haven't seen him since our training session." Lal said.

Everyone's eyes turned to Reborn. "... I may have said some… things."

"Reborn!" Luce yelled, slamming the table once more. "With your sharp tongue, I'm pretty sure you hurt him with your words! Why did you have to do that?"

"Why can't you see that the brat is just a burden? Don't you agree, Mammon?"

"If people find out and try to hunt us even more, I want more pay." Mammon monotonously said. Why would she care?

"That's because I saw! I saw his future and his future wasn't living on the streets! I brought him back for a reason! I have a reason for doing things and I would expect you, all of you, to trust me! We may be assassins but I believe all of us still have some compassion in our hearts…"

A deathly silence ensued in the meeting room; the only sound that was heard was the pelting rain against the glass windows and the crashing thunder. The storm was getting worse.

"I will go and find him." Luce said softly, turning to leave. Every second Tsuna was out in the cold rain, the chances of getting him back decreased and Luce was not going to let that happen.

Skull jumped out of his seat, dashing after Luce shouting, "Wait for me!" Fon followed suit, shaking his head in disappointment while looking at Reborn before leaving the room.

"W-Wait, I can use my Thoughtography." Mammon suggested.

Fon paused in his step and called back for Luce. The illusionist took out a piece of tissue and sneezed into it. Lines started forming on the tissue and when it was complete, Mammon looked up. "He's near where we found him."

Luce and Skull dashed out at top speed while Fong patted Mammon's hooded head before leaving. "We appreciate your help, Mammon... Chan."

"Payment complete..." Mammon mumbled, a small blush on her face which was covered by her hood. She shuffled out silently, leaving the two in the room.

"Well, I guess I should be getting back to work... Or prepare something when that brat is found, lest Luce comes after my neck." Verde said, getting up. "I suggest you do something as well, since you are the cause of it." the scientist smirked at the furious hitman, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. _Hmph, silly Reborn._

Reborn swiveled round in his chair to face the window, his fedora shadowing his eyes. Hearing another particularly loud clap of thunder, he let out a 'tch' and stood up. "That damn brat better be nearby." he mumbled, storming out the door. _Or I'll never here the end of it from Luce._

~~~~~~~.

Tsuna trembled violently in the rain, his clothes soaked till they stuck to him like a second skin. _Maybe running away that night wasn't such a good idea..._

The child struggled with each step he took, his breath shallow. Tsuna knew he could never stay with the Arcobaleno for long so why was he so upset about it now? It was going to happen sooner or later anyway.

Why would anyone want him? He was abandoned after all, probably his parents didn't want him. He was just some waste of space. A toy to be used and thrown away after having fulfilled the selfish people's purpose.

Except this time, he escaped.

He escaped their clutches and the prison, even though he couldn't remember how.

But would they find him? Would they come back and take him away? The exhausted child's breath hitched at the thought of them returning for him. _I won't cry… I won't…_

_A sinister light reflected off the man's goggles and a smirk crawled onto his face. Digging through the pocket of his white labcoat, he drew out a syringe. "Well then, experiment number 27, I hope you're prepared for this one! Don't worry, it won't be the same as experiment number –"_

The child tripped and fell faced down onto the pavement, badly scraping his knees and scratching his face. He picked himself up, ignoring the stinging pain and the blood trickling down his leg.

Oh how he hated them. Those horrible scientists. Tsuna was afraid but he wanted to destroy them so badly. But how was he going to win against them when he was such a coward with no abilities? The brunette sighed at the thought, a chill running down his spine.

It was so cold. Freezing. His small fingers felt numb, his frail body trembling. How much longer was this going to last?

Couldn't everything just end right now?

Tsuna let out a sneeze and took another shaky step before falling to his injured knees, scraping it on the ground again. He didn't feel any pain. A feeling of dread washed over him and tears started falling freely. _I can't go back anymore, I'm no use there..._

The brunet sniffed and continued to walked, oblivious to his surroundings. He didn't care anymore._  
_

Tsuna slowly made his way towards an alley and leaned against the rough, brick wall, pulling his knees to his chest as close as possible. The child flinched every time there was thunder and squeezed shut his eyes, wishing everything would be right. Rain prickled his cold skin and it reminded him of all the needles that were once in him. Memories from his past flooded back and he let out a soft whimper. He didn't like this. Not one bit. Maybe he became too used to the lifestyle in the Arcobaleno mansion... Tsuna shook his head and hugged his knees tighter. _Life's hard, suck it up._ A voice in his mind said, his heart slightly aching.

His vision began to blur and his limbs felt numb._ I hope I'm dying. Maybe it'll be warmer on the other side..._ Loud splashes and grunts were heard, shoes clacking noisily against the concrete ground.

_I wonder if there will be ice-cream on the other side. I always see kids eating them but I never have enough money to get one..._

"... Na!..."

_Oh, maybe some mafiasos might come and kill me or something..._

"...Tsu... Where are..."

_I could find some glass shards if I don't die by tomorrow I guess. Suffering from a cold isn't exactly fun..._

"Fuc... Brat!... He..."

_But I don't think I have the guts to even try to kill myself…_

"Where… you!… Come ba…"

_Actually, being killed by those drunk people or mafiosos is possible... Probably getting shot?_

"... Chan!... Tsu..."

_I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I couldn't keep my promise, Ta-_

"What the hell, Tsuna!" Reborn shouted when he caught sight of the shivering child crouching in an alley. The hitman almost couldn't recognise the boy if it weren't for his brown hair against the red brick wall. His hair was wet and locks of it were stuck to the side of his face. The bandages on him had come off, revealing the old cuts and grazes on him along with some new ones, showing that Tsuna had fallen quite a few times. Half-lidded eyes looked back weakly at Reborn who quickly took of his suit jacket and wrapped it around the trembling child.

"Are you an idiot?" Reborn hissed, "What were you thinking, running out in this damn thunderstorm!"

"B-But I'm... Useless... Stupid... And a burden... I have to leave as soon as possible... Tired... Gonna... Sleep..." Tsuna mumbled, his eyes slowly closing as he slumped forward into Reborn's arms, shutting off from the world. The hitman took out his phone and punched in a few numbers. "I found him and I'm taking him back now."

~~~~~~~.

A faint beeping sound was heard in the background, arousing Tsuna from his dreamless slumber. He felt his hand being grasped tightly and quiet sobbing. Eyes cracked open, revealing tired brown orbs which scanned the surroundings. _Where am I?... Heaven?... If it is, I'm not liking it very much…_

"Tsuna's awake! Luce! Hurry!" a voice shouted.

_Too loud..._ His eyes shifted toward the blurry purple figure on his left and when his vision sharpened, he recognised the familiar figure. "S…Skull..." Tsuna mumbled hoarsely, cringing at the horrible sound that came out from his dry throat.

"Tsunaaaaaa!" Skull wailed, "I was so worried about you! You nearly scared us- some of us half to death when Reborn brought you in unconscious!"

Tsuna just stared at Skull and was about to say something when Luce barged into the room.

"Tsuna-chan! How are you feeling? You were lucky; you almost got pneumonia from being in the rain too long... Verde had something to help you so you should be fine now..." Luce said, her tone getting softer towards the end. A hand reached out to stroke the child's head and Tsuna immediately relaxed, the motion lulling him back to sleep. Soon, the other Arcobaleno members entered the room and Luce immediately drew back her hand and went up to Reborn, dragging him by the arm to the front of Tsuna's bed.

Tsuna flinched at the sight of the scowling man and quickly uttered, "I-I'm sorry for-"

"Don't apologise, Tsuna-chan! He ought to be the one apologising!" Luce sternly interjected, hitting Reborn's shoulder. Hard.

The hitman winced and did what Colonello had mentioned before, 'taking it like a man'. Colonello sniggered but stopped when Reborn turned slightly to glare at him.

"Tell him what we discussed earlier, Reborn." Luce instructed.

"Listen, brat..."

"His name!"

Reborn sighed. "Listen, _Tsuna_, we decided that since you are staying with us, the Arcobaleno, from now onwards, I expect you to be trained, to know how to fight, to be able to defend yourself and to be educated. Understand?"

Tsuna nodded excitedly and sat up. Reborn continued with a sigh, "You will also be tutored... By me."

"Good luck, Tsuna! You just won yourself a devil of a tutor!" Colonello immediately said, nudging Lal while shaking his head.

Tsuna tilted his head innocently, wondering what Colonello was talking about. In any way, Tsuna was pretty contented with the arrangement.

He obviously didn't know what was going to happen.

* * *

**A/N HERE! Read this! :D**

_OH MY GOSH, HI EVERYONE. IT'S BEEN A WHILE! Sorry for the extremely late update but school has been a jerk and I simply had no time for any writing! T_T I apologise for the delay without any word or warning so here's a heads up, all my stories will be really, really slow in updates..._

_Ah yes. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR LOVELY REVIEWS! They really kept me going! Do continue to review to fuel my life. HAHA._

_Thanks Emi! Glad to know they're all in character! Yes, Reborn got his nice whacking :3 He probably had more without us knowing anyway :)  
_

_MaiA and Uchiha-Sakura193! You're correct! ;)  
_

_Ezcap1st! We'll see about that in future chapters~  
_

_Thank you everyone who reviewed, faved, and alerted! Seeing those mails made me really happy!  
_

_FFNET has changed quite a bit since the last time I was on o_o I might draw a cover page for my stories if I have time! hehe.  
_

_Anyway, see you in the next chapter! (or in the other stories~) Ciao!  
PS. Look, I stopped bolding my A/N!_

_PPS. Don't worry, I know where this story is going!_


	5. Unsuccessful endeavours

I'm back from an unofficial hiatus! Sorry for the long wait!

_**Unsuccessful Endeavours**_

Tsuna wanted to take back all his words about being contented or happy or anything else.

Reborn's training was downright hell.

_This is hell!_ Tsuna thought as he dodged another bullet from Reborn.

"You're going to have to do better than that, dame-Tsuna." Reborn said with a devilish smirk.

Three days ago, Reborn began to tutor and train Tsuna, giving the boy the moniker 'Dame-Tsuna' since Luce was all hyped up about using Japanese honorifics and that Tsuna was doing very poorly academic-wise. Reborn drummed in world history, Italian, Japanese, politics, and everything that was needed to know and in three days, Tsuna was already feeling the heat. That would be an understatement actually. Tsuna was ready to collapse at any moment.

They had lessons in the morning, training with Colonello and Lal after that, lunch, followed by training with evil Reborn till dinner. After that he was free to do whatever he wanted but of course, Tsuna was already too tired to even do anything else besides sleep.

"Don't you want to be strong? Don't you want me to stop calling you Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn taunted, shooting another round of bullets at the child.

"Hieeee! I -I know! But this-"

"Stop talking and keep dodging, dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna sighed wearily as he missed another projectile by an inch, almost tripping over his own feet.

"Isn't Reborn pushing Tsuna a little too hard?... He's only six after all." Skull said casually to Fon as they watched the intense training session.

The Chinese man merely smiled and shook his head. "Reborn's tactics may be harsh but look at Tsunayoshi now. He has made tremendous improvements in both academic and physical aspects. Even though he still can't defend himself against the type of people in our dark world, he can still take down an average man on the streets." Fon opened his eyes and slid his arms into his sleeves before walking away slowly. "Tsunayoshi has potential, that I can see. Sometimes..." he stopped in his tracks and his eyes narrowed. Fon turned to where Tsuna was. Something was off. He was about to break into a run when a loud cry was heard.

Skull gasped and dashed over to where Tsuna fell and gasped again when he saw the bullet wound on his leg. "Tsuna!"

"Shit." Reborn muttered before running towards Tsuna, throwing the gun aside. _What have I done?..._

"I'll carry him to the infirmary. Call Verde." Fon said, scooping up the whimpering boy into his arms. He swiftly jumped over the fence of the open-air training grounds with minimal jerks.

"What the hell happened, Reborn?! I didn't think you'd actually shoot him!" Skull yelled, completely ignoring how frustrated Reborn looked with his palm pressed against his forehead.

"Shut up, lackey." Reborn growled through gritted teeth. "I... I just got a little distracted!"

"Distracted?! Look what it did to Tsuna! What if you had shot him in the chest or his head?! He could have died!"

"I said shut up! He didn't die okay?! Argh! Just leave me alone for a while!" Reborn stormed off, leaving Skull to fume at his comrade.

~~~~~~~.

"Don't worry Tsunayoshi. We're reaching the infirmary soon." Fon assured the brunet who started to tear up. He had never been shot before and now, all he could think of was the excruciating pain he was feeling. His small hands gripped tightly onto Fon's red outfit.  
Being known to be the fastest one, Fon reached the infirmary in less than two minutes. Placing Tsuna down on the bed gently, he sat down beside him and waited with a calm expression. "Don't worry Tsuna, you'll be fine." Fon pressed a cloth to Tsuna's wound, resulting in a loud yelp from the child.

Crimson stained the white cloth and when Fon was about to drop it and roll up the boy's pant sleeve to see the wound when the door opened noisily. "Verde." Fon said softly, knowing who it was without turning around.

"Yes, yes. I heard. Shot by Reborn, surprisingly. I'll handle this, you can leave now." Verde said with a bored expression. Fon got up and left the room, but not before looking back to give Tsuna a reassuring smile.

_Oh my gosh oh my gosh I'm going to die! This seriously hurts and now, this... This mad doctor is going to help me?! If what Skull said was true... I'm doomed! I'm going to be experimented on! I'm-_ Tsuna's rambling train of thoughts was cut off when Verde made 'tsk tsk' noises.

"Don't worry, you won't die yet. Not by the bullet or my hands, if that was what you were thinking." Sitting down, he grabbed a pair of scissors on the table and snipped away the cloth of his pants at the wound. "Hm, not too bad. Reborn's shot is as clean as usual."

_... Why is he talking like that at a time like this?!_

"This shouldn't hurt too bad... I think, since it hasn't been tested yet."

_..._ _Skull-nii! Fong-nii! Save me!_

"I invented this a while ago to make extracting bullets easier instead of using tweezers to dig the bullet out. This method is much less messy." Verde proudly said, holding up a small device, hovering it above the wound. A pale green light flashed onto the skin around the wound and Tsuna could feel it go numb. Suddenly, he felt and saw the bullet move out and eventually float out of his leg and sticking to the device with a soft 'clink'.

_Ew..._ Tsuna thought, scrunching his face. _That looks gross._

"It works! Of course, since I invented it." Verde said, examining the bullet. He soon started to stitch up the wound was felt rather painless to Tsuna. "Done. I'm off. You can clean up by yourself." Verde stood up and headed for the door without a second thought.

"T-Thank you!..."

"Hm."

Tsuna sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. He wobbled a little at first, a slight pain on his wounded leg but he felt better after a few steps. Suddenly, the door burst open and a flash of purple ran towards him. "S-Skull-nii!"

"Tsuna! Are you okay?! Does it hurt?"

Tsuna shook his head. "It's not so bad now. Verde helped!"

Skull didn't look too convinced but let it go. As Tsuna was led out, he couldn't help but feel that something was up with Reborn. Since yesterday, Reborn looked distracted, as if he was thinking about something else. "Is something wrong with Reborn?" he asked when Fon appeared beside him.

"Reborn? I'm not too sure actually. He's always by himself and never really communicates with us."

This made Tsuna wonder a little. If Reborn liked to be alone, then why join the Arcobaleno? In fact, why did everyone join it if they were at odds with each other? "Uh... Fon? Why did you join the Arcobaleno?" _Wow, I finally got the name right!_

The martial artist thought for a moment, looking up at the off-white ceiling.

"I didn't want to be involved in the triads anymore," he started. "My family was one of the top triads in China, called Feng Long (風龍). Of course, that meant that I would have to inherit the triad one day and be the best..."

Tsuna watched Fon expectantly, engrossed in his tale. "What happened next?..."

"My cousin decided that he didn't want to stay in the underworld anymore so he left the country for somewhere else. Everyone in the family was extremely displeased but since he wasn't the heir, they let the matter go after a few months but not before... Silencing him." Tsuna gulped at that.

"Because of his departure," Fon continued wearily, "I was forced to work and train twice as hard to be their so-called, 'perfect leader'. Eventually, things got out of hand and a triad war broke out."

A small gasp was heard from the brunet whose eyes widened. He didn't like war. He had read all about it in Reborn's lessons and felt extremely disgusted by all the mindless killings. Tsuna knew how ironic it was since he was living among killers as well but he could never bring himself to hate his new family. After all, he had seen a softer side to them and that was all that mattered.

"I don't like to kill unnecessarily and the last straw was when they needed me to kill all the children in one of weaker triads. I did not want to hurt the innocent and vulnerable children so I left Feng Long immediately, but not before hiding the children away in a safer place where they could grow up peacefully. There are consequences for people such as me but... I managed to escape them for now. I started travelling on my own and while on one of my trips in Italy, Luce found me and asked me if I could join her mafia organisation, the Arcobaleno. By that time, Reborn, Colonello, Lal, and Skull were there already... And that was how I came to the Arcobaleno."

"J-Just like that?... Doesn't the Arcobaleno kill too? Why would you want to join?"

Fon looked slightly surprised at the question but smiled as he ruffled Tsuna's hair. The martial artist knew that just as much but he couldn't assimilate into the normal society anymore. Not with the people who were after his head. Settling down might endanger him and those close to him. So what better way to have a somewhat relatively normal life and yet have justice then to join Luce? "Yes, but this is more of... A justice thing. You could say it's like poetic justice. We take down corrupted organisations and-"

"Fon! Can you come to my office for a while?- Oh Tsu-chan! Oh my! What happened to your leg?!" Luce made her way over to the child and inspected his bandaged leg. "... Reborn shot you?..."

A nod.

"He... I'm sure he didn't mean to... I'll talk with him later, okay?"

"I-It's not his fault, Luce-nee!" Tsuna quickly said. "He was a little distracted during training! I know he didn't mean to!"

_Tsuna... Noticed? For a child, his sense of perception is above average..._ Fon thought to himself, staring at the worried child.

Luce just smiled and patted his shoulder. "Okay, but I still have to talk to him. Why not you go rest and play with Skull for a bit, Tsu-chan." she said gently, glancing up at Fon.

"I'll see you later, Tsuna-kun."

As Tsuna limped away, Luce's smile toned down. "How long do you think we can keep him away from the mafia?..."

Fon gave no answer and turned towards the window where the view was of a small pond. Ripples formed as leaves fell onto the surface. "I don't know. All I can say is that we can't protect him forever. We don't know anything about Tsuna either."

Luce nodded solemnly. "All I found out was that he's part Japanese, part Italian, albeit less of the latter. I can't track his parents or any of his relatives... And those nightmares that he had before...-"

"Well, his heritage might explain why he's here in Italy. Let's discuss this in your office. Walls have ears after all." Fon gently interrupted, a hand placed onto Luce's shoulder.

~~~~~~~.

Tsuna sighed as he made his way towards Skull's room. He was really enjoying his new life but he couldn't help but feel that something was still off. Suddenly, he bumped into something hard and when he looked up, he realised it was Mammon. Even though she was the shortest among the Arcobaleno, Tsuna only reached till her thighs.

"S-Sorry!" Tsuna exclaimed, bowing almost ninety degrees."I-I was just thinking and...-"

"Save it. I don't need to know." she replied curtly before walking off.

"M-Mammon-san," the child called out. "Why... Why do you hate me?..." he muttered sadly.

The illusionist paused in her step and turned around swiftly. "Hate? I don't hate you, but I don't like you either. You're just a brat."

"Then... How can I make you change your opinion of me?" the child asked innocently with a slight tilt of his head.

Mammon quirked an unseen brow and folded her arms_. What the heck is that kid thinking?_ "I don't know. Probably nothing." she spat. The illusionist turned around and walked off, ignoring Tsuna.

The brunet let out a small huff before taking off after Mammon. "W-Wait for me!..."

"Stop following me!"

Tsuna continued to chase after her till he was by her side. "Mammon-san!"

The hooded Arcobaleno groaned and picked up her pace. _Annoying little imp!_ "I said stop following me!"

"But I want to be friends with you!"

"Friends? There is no need for friends in the mafia!" she hissed. "No, I know what you're thinking; the Arcobaleno is merely a cover and to earn easy money for me. Now bug off." _Seriously, this kid is... Just can't stand it..._

Tsuna kept silent as he continued to follow Mammon. He had a feeling that the illusionist was just putting up a strong front but why? Soft footsteps pattered quickly down the corridor, trying to keep up with the floating illusionist.

"Don't you ever give up, brat?" Mammon finally spoke.

"Uhm, I try my best not to!" Tsuna answered with a bright smile. "Fon says we have to give it our all and Reborn says that giving up is not an option! Luce said we should put in our best effort in anything we do! Oh and Lal said half-assed work will not be tolerated!" Tsuna recited with an innocent smile, causing Mammon's brow to twitch.

"Well, you wanna know what I'm going to say? Give up when it's time to give up. Not everyone will see the effort you put in and not all will appreciate it."

The child frowned. "As long as you know it inside that you made effort, that's all that matters!"

"That's not the point! Such naïve thinking and being so goody-goody will only get you killed!" the illusionist growl, quickly floating away and leaving Tsuna behind.

"I'm surprised he even survived till today," Mammon muttered when the brat was out of sight. "Friends? Don't make me laugh. Who would want to be friends with people like us? Like me?" A hand went up to her face where tattoos of an inverted triangle were on each side of her cheeks.

"You haven't seen enough of the real world yet."

* * *

Ahhhh! It's been so long since I wrote anything! Please excuse me if the standard of my writing has dropped... If there are any errors, do point them out, constructive criticism is welcomed!

School has been so torturous till I barely had anytime to write and even when holidays have started, I realised that I lost my drive to write. *Cries* It pains me to know that my writing isn't fantastic.

Oh yes, thank you all who faved, alerted, and reviewed this story! It makes me so incredibly happy to see things like these flood my mail! Oh my gosh, 68 reviews! Squealing like crazy now. I think I've replied to all or majority of the registered reader's reviews! And to those anonymous reviewers, thank you!

P.S: I really can't wait for this plot to develop! I have big plans for Arcobaleno Parenting!


	6. A static start

Hi guys, I'm back! For now. Do you read A/Ns? No? WELL YOU SHOULD. For some. Like mine. Read mine below!_**  
**_

_**A static start**_

Skull stretched in his bed, sighing at the thought of poor Tsuna getting hurt. _Man, what is with that Reborn?... He of all people should have the most control..._ A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts and he bounced off the bed. "Tsuna! I was just thinking about you!" Skull cried out, pulling Tsuna in.

"Hi Skull-nii..." Tsuna muttered dejectedly.

"What's wrong? Is the wound still painful? Are you hurt anywhere else?" a worried Skull asked, noticing Tsuna's upset expression.

The brunet shook his head and sat down on the floor, his back leaning against the purple blanket of the bed. "I bumped into Mammon, and she... She doesn't really like me, doesn't she?..."

"Gah! That Mammon doesn't like _anyone_! Don't worry too much about it!"

Tsuna didn't seem too convinced but he shrugged anyway. "I really want to be friends with her like I am with Skull-nii and Luce-nii..."

The daredevil pulled Tsuna in for a hug, a hand gently patting the soft brown hair. "It'll happen; you'll get to that sourpuss one day!"

_One day huh?... When?_ Tsuna sighed inwardly. Pushing away from Skull, he reached out to Oodako for a quick pet on the head before heading for the door. "I'm going to have a bath, see you at dinner, Skull-nii!"

Skull whined a little. "Ah, so soon? See you then... Don't think too much about that stupid Viper, okay?"

"Hai, Skull-nii!" Tsuna chirped.

Oodako placed a tentacle on Skull's lap as it looked up at its master.

"Yeah, I know... But he's just a kid... We shouldn't be that harsh on him... I can't believe that Viper would be so tactless." Oodako nodded in agreement.

~~~~~~~.

"Nice crocodile... Uhh nice alligator?... Tsu-chan isn't delicious at all so eating me is a waste of effort!... You might get a tummy ache..." Tsuna cajoled, stepping away slowing from the green animal.

Before he came across the reptile, he was just about to head back to his room when his path was blocked by the green alligator which was Verde's pet. The animal seemed to notice the boy's fear and grinned. Giving the child a lazy look, it stopped crawling and just stared at Tsuna while blocking the entire path.

Tsuna panicked, not knowing what to do or expect. He had thought of calling for the others but they could be busy and this should be a small problem... Somehow. _I'm a big boy! I can handle this!_

The alligator snorted.

_Hieeeee! I'm doomed!_

"Where have you been Keiman? I told you to bring me the samples- Oh, you again." the scientist said when he noticed Tsuna.

"Uhm... Hi?"

Verde didn't respond and instead, went to pick Keiman up into his arms and petted it. Tsuna thought it was the most unusual sight having to see the cold scientist actually caring for something. "Uh... Verde-san?... A-Are you hungry? You weren't at breakfast so..."

Verde stared at the child before turning. "Eating is a waste of time. My experiments are-"

A loud rumble sounded and Verde stopped. "I-It can't be helped if the human body has needs."

Tsuna stifled a giggle and went up to Verde. "Can I get something for you? What would you like to eat?"

Verde thought for a moment before saying, "Pancakes. Four of it. Two for me, two for Keiman here." the alligator grunted in response.

_That was... Pretty normal._ Tsuna thought. "Okay! So I'll deliver it to your lab?"

The scientist looked as Tsuna as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe. "Be quick then. Go on."

With an enthusiastic shout of "Okay!", Tsuna dashed off to the kitchen excitedly.

~~~~~~~.

Tsuna reached the kitchen, hesitantly stepping in. "H-Hello?..."

"Oh, what do we have here? Young master Tsunayoshi! Are you lost?"

The brunet looked up and saw a maid smiling down at him. Her black hair was tied into a bun and she looked like she was in her forties. "I... I'm not lost!" Tsuna started, slightly nervous at a new face. "I wanted to get pancakes for Verde!... Oh, and Keiman too."

The maid chuckled at how cute the boy was, nodding a little. _To think master Verde would let the boy get food for him. I always thought he was so paranoid…_ "Alright then, I'll make the pancakes and you can take them to master Verde. Is that okay, young master Tsunayoshi?"

"Yeah but... Can you not call me 'young master Tsunayoshi'? It feels... Awkward... You can call me Tsuna! Or Tsu-chan! What's your name?"

The maid seemed surprise at the informality but she didn't mind. After all, who could resist the adorable boy? In all her life of working in the Arcobaleno Mansion, Tsuna was like a breath of fresh air, to her and probably to the other few helpers_. Maybe work wouldn't be as mundane anymore..._ "My name is Rosa, it's a pleasure to work for you, Tsuna."

~~~~~~~.

Verde was a man of science and technology. Anything that could not be proven with formulas did not exist.

He strove to find out the secrets of the unknown, creating all sorts of things in the process. Verde was named a genius and as with all geniuses, he was also eccentric. His naturally green hair further accented that trait. Being socially detached, he rarely left the comforts of his laboratory and hardly spoke to anyone unless needed to. His most trusted companion was an animal and of all creatures, an alligator named Keiman. No one else really mattered to him.

Now, when the child arrived at their doorstep of the Arcobaleno mansion, he couldn't be bothered at all. To him, the child was uninteresting and plain, with no abilities or quirks which he could tap into. Even experimenting on him would be a waste of time and effort. However, when he laid eyes on the child at the dinner table, he could help but raise his brows. The boy was tiny and frail, obviously malnourished. He had no fighting abilities and seemed like he couldn't even hurt a fly but that child, he had strong eyes. It was only for a split second but Verde swore he could have seen a flash of fire.

A simple want. A strong desire.

Those were the most basic things that could trigger such fiery eyes. But he was just a child. How can someone so tiny and useless have such strong eyes? Even so, Verde was not completely taken in.

_It could have just been a fluke._ Verde argued internally. _He was a stray so his desire to be part of a community was most definitely a contributing factor._

With that, Verde continued on with his experiments.

When the boy disappeared from their midst on one stormy night and was found again soon after, all Verde thought was, _what a chore. It's so bothersome._

When it was confirmed that the boy was going to stay with them permanently, the scientist was still indifferent about it.

_None of my business,_ he thought.

When the child was accidentally shot by Reborn and he had to go help, he sighed and made his way to the infirmary. _What a distraction._

"T-Thank you!..." the boy, Tsuna, stuttered.

Verde hesitated in his step for a moment as the two words rang in his mind. "Hm," was the only reply he could give.

No one had thanked him before, except for the Arcobaleno. No one. Hearing those words from a mere child was actually quite refreshing and Verde found himself smiling just a little. As a child, Verde never smiled. He was never happy. Why would he be, when his own parents despised him? They didn't like their kid knowing everything, forever asking mind-boggling questions that could never be answered. Even Verde himself was quite bored of everyone around him. School never interested him, so he would always sit in the library alone. By the end of the month, he would have finished reading all the books in the library. Twice.

At the age of ten, he was already discovering new chemicals and inventing weapons, much to the horror of his parents. "What a monster..." they would whisper.

Why would they say that? Why couldn't they appreciate their genius son? At that point in time, Verde had already disregarded all such thoughts and completely devoted himself to science. _Feelings are useless. They will only hinder my progress._ A young Verde thought.

One day, all that changed. He returned home from another dull day at school, only to find that his home was on fire. Verde dashed in without a minute to spare, his legs taking him straight to his bedroom. He picked up a fireproof box- made by Verde himself of course- and opened it, heaving a sigh of relief when he found the contents to be safe. "Silly woman must have messed with my bottle of francium," Verde muttered as he stepped over the barely recognisable body of his mother. "Too explosive to be touched so casual. What a waste."

As he came out of the burning house, he was met with a white car. A middle-aged man stepped out and walked towards Verde, completely ignoring that there was a burning building in front of him.

"How would you like to join our company as our scientist? You will have all resources that are available to us and you are free to do anything, as long as you contribute your fantastic knowledge to us."

Verde quirked a brow. "Anything?"

"Anything."

Verde reached out to shake the outstretched hand. "Deal."

From then on, he worked in a prestigious pharmaceutical company, switching to a military weapons manufacturer, to finally, the underworld of the Mafia where he created and modified weapons. It was then he agreed to join Luce in forming the Arcobaleno and he had been there ever since.

Now here he was, sitting in front of his desk awaiting his meal that was promised by the child, all because Keiman had to tease the boy on the way back from collecting a sample. Verde would never admit that it was actually quite amusing to see Tsuna trying to cajole the alligator.

Soon, there was a soft knock on his reinforced doors. "Enter," the scientist drawled, watching the boy closely so as to prevent Tsuna from working his clumsiness in his lab. His works were far too precious to let a child run free in his territory. "Place it there." Verde instructed, using his pen to point to a table across the room.

"Okay!" came the enthusiastic reply.

"How energetic," Verde muttered as his eyes followed the brunet.

Turning around, Tsuna ran over to the scientist and tugged on his lab coat. "Luce says we shouldn't skip meals because it's bad for our stomachs!"

Verde quirked a brow and snorted. "Like I've said before, eating is a waste of time. My experiments and research have a greater priority." When Tsuna gave no response, Verde got up and went to the table where the pancakes were and dug in, throwing two pieces to Keiman who gobbled it instantly.

"Then..." Tsuna started. "If you don't want to waste time, why not I bring the food to you! That way, you don't have to go so far to the dining area! Even though Luce says we should all eat together..." Noticing a small shrug from the scientist, Tsuna grinned eagerly. "Does that mean a yes?"

"... Suit yourself." Came the reply_. If he wants to be an errand boy then so be it. It'll be to my advantage anyway._ Verde thought to himself, silently chewing on his food. Suddenly, he stopped and looked up. _Why is it so silent? That brat had better not be messing with my research!_ Swivelling round, his eyes immediately darted towards where his current research and computers were. "... Why are you even reading that? You won't understand a single thing."

Looking up from the paper, Tsuna merely tilted his head and said, "B-But I won't know till you tell me..."

Verde nearly burst out in laughter but settled for a grunt instead. "You're an interesting kid. Weak, yet interesting."

"H-Hey! I'm getting stronger!"

"Hm, let's have a deal. In exchange for meals, you'll let me gather your data."

Tsuna seemed confused. "Huh? Data? Me?"

"Yes, and you have to keep it a secret. It means that you can't tell anyone. Not even Skull, not even Luce. Understand?" Verde said in a serious tone.

"O-Okay then! Ah, I have to go now! I-I'll bring you dinner later! See you later Verde-nii!" Tsuna quickly said before dashing out happily.

"Let's see how much this Tsuna can surprise me..."

~~~~~~~.

Tsuna had been smiling the whole time and when Collonello saw the strangely happy child, he couldn't help but ruffle the boy's messy hair. "Hey there, Tsuna! You do realise that you just got shot a few hours ago right?"

"U-Uhm yes... But it's okay... I'm… Ah, something good happened anyway! I brought Verde lunch! And I'll be bringing all his meals too so he won't skip them!" Tsuna said.

Knowing that the child had changed the topic, Collonello decided not to pry any further. "... Did Verde do anything, kora?" _That Verde would do anything that would aid his research! I wouldn't put it past him to use Tsuna too…_

"Nope! He was okay with it!" _I have to keep it a secret!_

"If you say so, kora... But if he does anything that you're uncomfortable with, you have to let us know!" the military man said, sighing softly. It wasn't like him to care so much about anyone except those close to him and the Arcobaleno but Tsuna was really worming into his heart. Seeing a nod from the child, Collonello went on his way.

Tsuna felt bad. He felt really bad for lying to Collonello but he wanted to keep his promise to Verde too... Huffing sharply, he quickly ran back to his room before he met anyone else.

"Phew. Made it without seeing anyone!" Tsuna huffed, wincing a little when he noticed his gunshot wound. "It's fine… I-I've gone through worse right?... This is nothing… Yea…" the child muttered as he held back a sob. _I miss him… Where are you?..._

~~~~~~~.

Verde leaned back in his seat as he watched the footage from the surveillance cameras around the mansion. "I must admit, Tsuna has progressed rather fast for a normal child like him…" Typing on his keyboard, he keyed in a special code, causing the screen to change slightly. A meter appeared at the side and when Verde saw the rating, he grinned. _This should be interesting…_

He swiveled round and grabbed the sample blood he got from extracting the bullet out of Tsuna's leg. "This should be enough. Time to start work…"

* * *

A/N!

I'M ALIVE! HELLO EVERYONE! I'm sorry for this extremely late update! I've been so busy with school till I hardly have any time to write... I'm supposed to update Lovely Madness first, according to my story cycle, but I had more inspiration for this... I'm really, really, REALLY happy with all the faves, alerts, and especially reviews! Keep 'em coming! Thank you as well to those who actually PM-ed me to update! Makes me feel like I haven't been forgotten... *Wipes away a tear* I just hope my writing standard is still okay...

I hate to say this but updating the next chapter will definitely be difficult because of semester exams... But I'll do my best!

Oh yea, I might actually write some oneshots or really short stories because as much as you hate waiting for idiots like me to update after 3 months, I hate waiting too. Haha. I haven't written anything new because I want to complete the long series stories first (I love long stories! That's why writing one shots is difficult for me...) before I get started on another. So I thought I should try writing one shots or short stories instead of having such a dead account...

I could try requests, through PM of course. Ahaha, I'm pretty excited now! Anyway, thanks everyone! I hope you will continue to look forward to more chapters to come! Bring on the reviews!

To "Too lazy to log in" reviewer, thank you! I SHIP VIPERxBEL/FON TOO! I'm glad you're enjoying it so be prepared for more exciting (?) chapters to come!

and thank you to the guest reviewer too!

Next chapter... Has Reborn! See you!


End file.
